Reducing unnecessary body movements will transfer speed to the golf club.
By Rosey Bartlett
Photography by RJ Hinkle of Quad/Photo
The simplest way to improve your golf swing is to reduce the number of awkwardly moving body parts. When you make efficiency of movement your goal, you will be able to feel the parts that are most important — thus improving your accuracy and distance. In addition, by reducing unnecessary movements, you will enhance your ability to transfer speed from the body to the golf club. In these photos of my swing, the sequence shows little extraneous motion, yet I achieve a full turn back and through to create maximum energy for the club.
1. A stance slightly wider than my shoulders gives me good balance during the swing and allows for maximum extension throughout the swing process. Note that my shoulders and elbows tilt slightly to mimic my hand position on the club.
2. As the club moves back in one piece, my shoulders coil behind the ball, while my arms and club extend as far as possible. There is no sway with the hips or breakdown of the right leg on my backswing.
3. While my left shoulder is turned 90 degrees from the starting point, my lower body has turned considerably less to give the needed resistance to accelerate on the downswing. Note that my right arm has folded up on the backswing, staying “lower” than the left at all times.
4. My arms and club have stayed on plane by being situated between the right ear and right shoulder on the backswing, while my left arm has remained straight. Note that my left foot has stayed firmly in place.
5. On the downswing, my left arm remains straight, my wrists are cocked, and my shoulders remain on the target line, while my hips have created speed by rotating through as the weight transfers to my left side.
6. At impact, my arms are fully extended while the club has been fully released. Note that my head has not moved off the ball. My right foot and right knee have led the charge to transfer the weight during the swing to create speed with the lower body.
7. Both my arms remain extended and fully rotated well after the club has passed through the hitting zone. My left leg has acted as the “firm left side” resistance to transfer energy from the coiling upper body into the clubhead.
8. At finish, I am fully turned toward the target. The club has rotated around my body, acting as a mirror image of the backswing by finishing between my left ear and left shoulder. I finish in total balance with my right knee nearly touching my left.
Rosey Bartlett, director of golf and instruction at Trophy Club Country Club near Dallas, is among Golf for Women magazine’s Top 50 Teachers for 2006. She was the 2004 LPGA T&CP National Teacher of the Year. Bartlett has been teaching golf for 23 years.